Fantasy picks: Gostisbehere leads position in power-play points

All season long, NHL.com's fantasy staff will provide daily picks for DraftKings NHL contests. These targets at each position can be used as a basis for your roster decision-making.

CENTER
Safe pick: Nicklas Backstrom, WSH ($6,300 at DET) --The Washington Capitals center has been better than a point per game with 12 points (four goals, eight assists) over his past 10 games. He has been reunited with Alex Ovechkin ($7,900) on their top line because Evgeny Kuznetsov is out with an upper-body injury. Ovechkin, who has nine points (four goals, five assists) in his past five games, could form a lethal stack with Backstrom against the Red Wings on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV).
Value pick: Dylan Strome, ARI ($2,800 at CAR) --The Arizona Coyotes center scored a goal in their 4-1 road win against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. Strome was tied for the Coyotes lead in power-play time (2:29) with forwards Max Domi ($3,900), Christian Dvorak ($4,200) and defenseman Alex Goligoski ($4,100). The Coyotes have a favorable matchup Thursday (7 p.m. ET; FS-CR, FS-A, NHL.TV) against the Carolina Hurricanes, who are expected to start goaltender Cam Ward (four straight losses with .842 save percentage).

WING
Safe pick: Patrick Kane, CHI ($6,900 vs. VAN) -- The Chicago Blackhawks right wing could take full advantage of the struggling Vancouver Canucks at home, where he has 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 37 games. Kane has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) over his past 10 games and bounce-back potential considering his shot volume (3.6 shots on goal per game) has remained high despite a shooting percentage (9.4) much lower than his NHL career average (12.1). He's expected to skate on a line with Nick Schmaltz ($3,600), who is replacing injured center Jonathan Toews (upper body).
Value pick: Zach Hyman ($3,700 at NSH) -- The Toronto Maple Leafs wing scored a goal and had three SOG in their 4-3 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. He gains significant value at even strength against the Nashville Predators on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; TVAS, FS-TN, SNO, NHL.TV) because elite center Auston Matthews ($6,600) is returning to their lineup after missing 10 games with a shoulder injury. Hyman has scored 34 of his 36 points at even strength, where he has spent significant time playing with Matthews. The Maple Leafs have a tough road matchup against the Predators, who have allowed the fewest goals in the League (172), but the Matthews-Hyman stack could still return value.

DEFENSE
Safe pick: Shayne Gostisbehere, PHI ($6,100 vs. NYR) -- The Philadelphia Flyers defenseman had one goal, one assist, five blocked shots and two SOG (8.5 DraftKings points) in their 5-4 shootout loss against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. The Flyers are tied for the sixth-most home power-play opportunities (126), and Gostisbehere will look to add to his League-leading power-play goals (seven) and power-play points (29) by a defenseman against the New York Rangers on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSP, MSG, NHL.TV). Gostisbehere is easily stackable with power-play running mate Wayne Simmonds ($5,200).
Value pick: Ian Cole, CBJ ($3,300 vs. FLA) -- The Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman had two assists, one SOG and two blocks (5.5 DraftKings points) in their 5-3 win against the New York Rangers on Tuesday. He has a high floor with 110 blocked shots in 59 games and has also shown he's capable of bigger performances with at least 4.5 DraftKings points in three of his past eight games. Defenseman Seth Jones ($5,900 in DraftKings) is a game-time decision, and Cole would gain further value if the defenseman misses another game.

GOALTENDER
Martin Jones, SJS ($7,600 vs. VGK) -- The San Jose Sharks goaltender has struggled against the Vegas Golden Knights, allowing seven goals in two games. That said, Vegas will be without injured goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (undisclosed) and one of its top forwards Reilly Smith (upper body) against the Sharks on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV). Jones is 7-2-1 with a .915 save percentage and one shutout in his past 10 games, and the Sharks are 8-2-0 since acquiring Evander Kane on Feb. 26.

READ:
Projected lineups, starting goalies for Thursday, March 22
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